ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of several major ways in which information and communications technologies (ICTs) are reshaping urban areas. It explores the role of ICTs in the emergence of smart or intelligent cities, telework and new transportation systems, giving rise to new divisions of labour and modes of work and travel. The chapter examines urban e-government, or the use of the Internet to provide public services, which has helped to streamline interactions with the state, improve efficiency and enhance transparency. It turns to the changing nature of urban planning in light of the growth of Web 2.0; rather than simply constituting the domain of privileged experts, interactive websites allow far greater levels of public input, helping to democratize the planning process. The chapter addresses the digital divide or uneven urban access to the Internet and to digital technologies more broadly. Neogeography facilitates collective, bottom-up place-making rather than top-down, state-mandated designs of locales.
